What Happened When We Made a Story in Real Time at FRDNY
Chapter Leadership Brief 7.25.25
by Jason Ellinger, Founder
Beard & Bowler
We walked into the ballroom
at AFP Fundraising Day in NYC
with nothing but a plan, a camera
crew, & a deadline no one could pause.
Four hours later, 1,120 nonprofit leaders
would be watching a story they hadn’t
seen yet because we hadn’t filmed it.
As the ballroom filled at FRDNY 2025,
there was a name tag curling at the
edge of a table. A folder of ideas.
A seat filled by someone who rarely
gets to slow down. In a year when
teams are stretched thin, inboxes
are overloaded, & fundraising feels
like both a sprint & a marathon,
storytelling is not a side task.
It is one of the few things that
actually moves people.
FRDNY 2025 wasn’t just
another event for us. It was
a test of our team, our trust,
& our ability to show up under pressure.
We didn’t come to drop a sizzle reel.
We came to produce a same-day-edit
to remind the people in that room that
the work they do matters. We walked into
that ballroom with a plan, a small crew, & a
clock we could not stop. By noon, we had
to deliver a story we hadn’t even filmed yet.
Four hours. That was the window.
If you’ve ever had to prep an entire campaign
while answering emails from the board, send
last-minute reminders before an event, or
pivot mid-presentation to get the room back,
you already know what that pressure feels like.
We were simultaneously split across three
shoots that day. This was our Super Bowl.
We weren’t fully staffed. Kwami, one of
our best interviewers, was on National Guard duty.
Dani was just getting comfortable in these spaces,
but she stepped in to lead our presence on the floor.
I was leaving the next day for my first real vacation in months.
Still, we showed up. We knew who would be in the room.
Not just attendees. These were the quietly relentless.
The ones who keep showing up for something bigger than themselves.
Matt & I kicked off with an 8 AM lightning talk.
Christine was on the floor filming real-time reactions.
Jenna cut clips on the fly & backed up footage between
exports. AJ & Jono caught behind-the-scenes, the details,
the heartbeat. Richard conducted interviews remotely from Italy.
Dani became the face of the team that day. She was present,
grounded, & incredibly generous. Everyone knew their
role & every second mattered.
At 12:00, we were still exporting.
At 12:04, we handed the file to AV.
At 12:10, the audio collapsed.
My opening line only came
through in one ear.
For a moment, I froze.
Maybe we had missed our shot.
Maybe it would fall flat.
But Jenna knew what to do.
She rerouted the issue,
re-exported the file,
& got it back just in time.
At 12:15, the video played.
The room became silent.
Then came the laughs.
Then applause. People leaned in.
“Wait, this was filmed today?”
“That’s our table.”
“Is that me?”
We didn’t just deliver a video.
We helped people see themselves.
That is what I’ll carry from that day.
No one said, “Great edit.”Instead, they said,
“That’s what we’ve been missing.”
“We need help telling our story.”
“This reminded me why I started.”
What Nonprofits Can Do When the Pressure’s On
You don’t need a full production team or a perfect
plan to tell a great story. Here’s what we learned at
FRDNY that can help you the next time you are up
against the clock, the budget, or the blank page:
● Be brave, not perfect
The best stories are often the ones you feel nervous to tell.
The ones still unfolding. You don’t need perfect lighting or gear.
You need honesty. If you’re holding off on sharing your mission
until it’s tidy, you’re probably holding back your most powerful work.
● Keep roles crystal clear
Pressure breaks teams that don’t know their roles. At FRDNY,
we delivered under stress because everyone knew exactly
what to do. When your team has clarity & shared
ownership, you can handle just about anything.
● Lead with emotion, then inform
Start with a face, a moment, a real story.
Then bring in your data. People act when
they care, not when they’re just informed.
Make them feel it first, then
give them the numbers.
● Tell it before it’s tidy
You don’t need to wait
until your gala wraps or your
metrics are perfect. Share your story
while it’s still unfolding. That’s what
people remember. The messy middle
is often where the truth lives.
● Remember why you started
That’s what most of us came to FRDNY for.
Not just another panel or workshop, but
the reminder that this work is still worth it.
The people in your corner matter. Your story,
even now, is one worth telling.
That moment, on screen,
with 1,120 nonprofit leaders
leaning in, reminded me what matters most.
It is not about the lighting. It’s about the person
who steps into the frame & says, “This matters.”
It’s about the folder full of ideas & the name tag
curling at the edge. It’s about waking up & deciding
again to ask, to care, to build momentum from nothing.
To the AFP NYC community:
Thank you for making space
for that kind of storytelling.
Thank you for filling the room
with people who get it. The ones
who know what it means to stretch
a budget & move a heart, sometimes
before their second cup of coffee.
You reminded us that storytelling isn’t a final step.
It’s a force, a signal & a way to say: the mission still matters.
Not someday. Not when it’s perfect. Right now.
At Fundraising Day NYC, we gave away early access
to something we’ve been quietly building
a nonprofit storytelling mini masterclass.
Want in?
Sign up here!
First, & most importantly, I’m a husband of a beautiful wife & father to two amazing boys - a 5 year old & a 1 year old. Of secondary importance, I am the owner of Beard & Bowler Productions, a Commercial Filmmaking creative company that helps nonprofits raise funds & awareness through the power of storytelling via video.
I have worn all the hats, including an English bowler, in my time building this company & have been privileged to work with a long list of businesses, agencies, & organizations. There is genuine power to the art of storytelling and I’m proud to be part of a company that uses this power to make an impact in our world.
As with any good story there are numerous details I must not go into great detail over here. From my days as a hard news journalist to A.J. Video to Beard & Bowler I continue to learn & grow. Only greater things to come… just you wait.